The love of a Ranger
by Kira Winchester
Summary: When Eris gets dropped from her reality into middle earth, the reunion between her and the people of middle earth doesn't go so well. Through the story Eris must face her fears and help to save middle earth, and hope that the fate of her home, Earth, is better than when she left it.


I awoke with a grown and sat up clutching my head to try and ease the thumping that was slowly calming down, and began to feel the ground beside me for my backpack, which I would usually be using as a pillow at this point. As soon as my hand touched what should have been solid concrete, my hand was met with the feeling of grass and leaves against my finger tips.

I sat up with a jerk and jumped to my feet looking around me for any signs of civilisation. When I was sure there was no immediate danger i began to look around the area for my rucksack. After checking between every tree within the distance I was willing to go without knowing where I was, I took in my appearance. I was still wearing my blood stained black shirt with sleeves that uses to be full length but have long since been ripped off. Over the top of my shirt i wore something similar to a black corset but it was less restrictive and made of a stronger material, and over the top of that I wore my dark brown cloak with blood stains all over the front and on its hood. On my legs I wore skin tight trousers that were also black and covered in blood from many fights, fortunately most of it was not my own. Over the top of my trousers i had on a holster to hold my two daggers to the side of my thighs, and on my feet I wore dark brown knee height leather boots, which had a smaller dagger hidden inside it. The last thing I looked at we're by arms which were covered by my silver metal arm cuffs which ran from just below my wrists to just before my elbow, on my cuffs were etchings of a bow and arrow on each arm. After I had assessed that my clothing had not been tampered with, I began to to take in my surroundings.

I was standing, or prior to that that, sleeping in a forest made of lush green grass with small colourful flowers and trees the colour of gold and chestnut that stretched for miles beyond my eyes could see.

Once I had assessed where I was at this moment I began to look around to try and figure out what county I was in because I was positive his was not England, England didn't have forests anymore, it was only abandoned buildings and unfinished construction sites. I went up to one of the taller trees and began to climb up its tall trunk, getting a few cuts and scratches as I went that I hardly noticed, determination sending me scaling the tree faster than a normal human would have been able to. When I reached the top I looked out from the foliage to try and see where I was, but as soon as I looked out I saw that the forest stretched for miles and miles, and there was no way of telling which direction to go to get out of it.

In despair I began to climb down when a familiar scent filled my nose, the smell of honey and life, If life had a scent of course.

That's when I remembered where I had smelt it before, in the forest surrounding the elvish city of Rivendell.

With a triumphant glint in my eyes from discovering where i was, I began to descend back down the tree and landed firmly on my feet.

Now that I knew where I was I just had to deduce how I got here, the last time I had been in the forests of Rivendell was when I was being shown around Middle Earth by Gandalf the Grey almost 300 years ago.

As I began to ponder my thoughts I heard a rustling from somewhere in the forest, and with that I jumped up a tree and drew my bow and arrow and waited. When I was about to descend, for thinking that the person who had made the disturbance was gone, when a party of 9 people from different races came galumphing through the thrush and stopped in the same spot where I woke up.

It was clear that there was a dwalf and four hobbits in the company, also from the white hair I assumed that another was an elf and the last two I thought to be men though one of them was as tall as an elf, and the other was brandished in heavy armour that no elf would ever wear.

The tall man stepped forward, and i tried to get a better look at his face but he had his hood up so i could not see, and began surviving the area, poorly I might add, he's not even looking in the trees! But then I can't blame him for trying, I am lighter than any human or elf, so I do not leave tracks, that are visible to the naked eye.

"I thought you said she was suppose to be here Gandalf!"

The man called back into the bushes my eyebrows raised when I saw none other than Gandalf the Grey come swiftly through the thicket to stand in front of the man and begin looking around.

"She was supposed to be, I don't understand why she is not, I specifically said that I needed her placed here"

By this time I had grown to impatient, I but my bow and arrow away and jumped out of the tree landing with a small thump, from a fall that would have broken most humans legs.

All eyes turned to me and many weapons where drawn against me, I looked at each weapons and wielder in turn and rolled my eyes, strolling over to Gandalf.

"Hello old friend, we need to talk..."

"Eris, it has been to long!" Cried Gandalf as he began to stroll over to me.

Before he got to close I drew one of my daggers from the holster attached to my thigh and pressed it to his neck.

All of the party took a step towards me and placed their weapons next to my body, wherever they could reach.

The dwalf had his axe pressed against my stomach, the elf had his arrow pointed at the back of my head, the shorter man had a sword at my back and the taller man had a dagger, slightly smaller than mine pressed to my throat as as mine was to Gandalf.

"Drop your weapon Eris, you are amongst friends here." Said Gandalf in a soothing voice, no doubt trying to calm the hysterical hobbits in the corner pressed against a tree.

"Tell your friends to lower there's first or I will slit open your throat quicker than your companions could blink, and you know I can, and will." I replied without skipping a beat, not taking my eyes away from Gandalf's, making sure he knew how serious I was.

We stared at each other for a few more beats, as more seconds past I put more pressure on my blade, and Gandalf cracked, knowing I would slit his throat in a few more seconds.

"Lower your weapons, and take a step back, she wishes not to bring any harm towards me."

As he said this, the group all lowered there weapons and took a reluctant step back.

When they had finished following Gandalf's instructions I also lowed my weapon and placed it back into its holster on my leg and took a step back.

"My old friend, time has changed you" Gandalf said as he came over and hugged me.

I stood dead still not sure what to do in this situation, as I had not been faced with it for a very long time.

When he stepped away he turned to his companions,

"Fellowship, this is Eris Discordia, an old friend and long trusted ally."

I looked at the group with a scornful and mocking gaze.

"Why am I here Gandalf?" I questioned, turning towards him keeping my expression mutual, as it always is.

"You are here because we need you to aid us in a journey to Mount Doom, we are going to destroy the ring of power."

"Gandalf is it wise telling her all of this?" Asked the elf giving me an apprehensive look, to which I gave him my uncomfortable stare until he looked away.

"I trust her, and if you trust me, you should also trust her." Replied Gandalf giving the elf a look.

"Eris, let me introduce you to everyone, this is Legolas" said Gandalf gesturing to the elf who gave me a curt nod with a little bow, "this is Gimli" He said once again, gesturing to the dwalf who gave me a nod and a small smile, to which I responded to with a nod the same he had given me.

"This is Aragorn," said Gandalf walking me past the man, who have me a slight bow when I passed. "This is Boromir" he said waving his hand at another man who gave me a deep bow and looking up and down my body, assessing me. "These two are Merry and Pippin," he said while pointing to two hobbits in turn who both gave me a wary smile.

"And these two are Sam and Frodo." Said Gandalf stopping me in front of the last two hobbits.

Sam gave me a quick look and a small smile and Frodo gave me an apprehensive stare.

Gandalf gave me a quick stare down, then leaned over to whisper something into Frodo's ear.

Frodo suddenly looks shocked and backs away, ready to protest, when Gandalf spoke, "trust me Frodo, I have not led you astray so far."

With that Frodo clasped something around his neck and brought it over his head and clasped it between his hands so I couldn't see it.

When he opened his hands, inside was the one thing I wished never to see again, the one ring, and this poor hobbit was carrying its burden.

"Give it to her Frodo", said Gandalf, putting his hand on Frodo's shoulder.

When he said that, everyone began to react, Boromir began to argue at Gandalf, saying how reckless this was. Legolas and Gimli began arguing at each other, taking either Gandalf's side or Boromir's. The three hobbits rushed over to Frodo and made a wall between him and I, as If I was going to try an take the ring.

However, one of the group did nothing, Aragorn just stood there starting at me, like he was trying to see what Gandalf was doing.

After a while of hearing nothing but bickering, Aragorn spoke out, "Give her the ring" he said, everyone stopped talking and looked at him.

"I trust Gandalf's decision, so I also trust her." The line of hobbits slowly began to dispatch and Frodo reached out his hand towards me.

When the heavy ring fell into my palm, everyone readied themselves to see what would happen.

"Gandalf, why did you not just tell them I am not effected by the ring instead of going through such hassle to prove so?" I said while kneeling down and placing the ring back around Frodo's neck. Before I rose I gave him a sincere look, trying to convey that I had no intention of taking the ring from him again. When he meet my eyes he gave me a startled look, to which I returned by blinking and rising from my position and standing a few steps back from anyone in the group.

"Time has changed you Eris, what has happened back home to make you so emotionless?" Questioned Gandalf turning towards me.

All eyes were on me and making me feel uncomfortable, I was so used to being in the shadows, literally and figuratively that I was not used to all of this attention.

"The war that I feared." I replied looking to Gandalf.

His expression showed horror, as it should, the war had practically ravaged all of Earth, my home, and there was nothing left but a few large settlements held by the N-I.

"We're losing Gandalf, because of the time I lost here." I said taking a step forward as if to attack him, even though he was the main cause of the war, I didn't blame it on him.

"Gandalf I do not understand, you told us very little of what you speak of, what is this war? And why is it your fault?" Asked Frodo stepping forward, looking up at Gandalf and than to me, but keeping his eyes on Gandalf, which I had no problem with.

"You must also tell me how I got here and what I'm to do now that I am." I pitched in turning to face Gandalf once again.

"I will answer all questions when we are setting up camp tonight, but until then, we must keep moving, we have lost enough time as it is." Said Gandalf, who began to walk of, taking the lead of the group.

Every one around me began to follow Gandalf's lead, first Frodo than Gimli and Legolas. Than Merry and Pippin, after then was Boromir and Sam following behind with a small pony that I had not noticed before, for it had been behind a tree. I waited for a few more seconds until I looked back to see that Aragorn was still looking at me, when I finally made eye contact he ushered his hand forward with a small bow and a smile playing on his lips, and no longer wanting to be stared at, I began to walk on ahead.

"Miss Eris?" I heard called ahead. I began to walk swiftly forward towards the call. When I came to a stop in front of Sam he turned back to his pony and unsaddled my rucksack.

"I'm thinking you'll be needing this" he said placing it in my hands.

I looked down at him and gave him a small nod ad a quiet "Thank you", to which Sam gave me a small smile and began to lead the pony through the group again.

When they were far enough away I hastily opened my rucksack and rummaged around in the lining until my hand touched what I was looking for.

I quickly drew one of my daggers from my thigh holster and slashed the lining of the bag, putting it away again I drew from the lining my glock 9mm hand gun and put it in the waistband of my trousers, hidden by my cloak.

I latched my rucksack together at the seam and put it on my shoulders and began to walk at the back of the group keeping my head down.

"What was that?" Asked Aragorn appearing behind me, who somehow managed to keep quiet and unnoticed behind me the whole time I was concerned with my retrieving my gun and making sure it was safe.

"It's a very rare weapon from my home." Which was true, because of the take over, almost all of the weapons were destroyed or taken by the G-I. I was very lucky to have had this given to me by an old friend, and I was able to smelt bullets for it with the equipment in my rucksack.

"What does it do?" Asked Aragon while I was lost in my thoughts, thinking about home and the consequences of me being here.

"I can't really describe it, and I hope I won't have to use it, but who knows, perhaps you will witness what it does." I said looking up at Aragorn who had fallen in to step with me at the back of the company.

"What is it like...your home?" He asked looking down to try and look into my eyes, when I looked up, I quickly turned my head so as not to make eye contact and began to answer his question.

"It was like this once, green and full of nature and life. But then men started coming up with different ideas and started building machines that created black smoke and burnt down our forests to feed these machines, until there was no more forest left, just buildings as far as the eye could see. The men in my world grew smart and were always making new machines, and weapons to defeat there enemies. And that is what happened to my home." I finished with a sigh and continued looking forward to let Aragorn proses all of what I had just told him.

"But you tale does not tell of the war that you spoke of." Said Aragorn stopping in his tracks.

I stopped also to look back at him, "that tale is very long, I will maybe speak of it when we set up camp." I said while all the time thinking that I wouldn't be able to tell them, not until I trusted them.

When I had finished my sentence Aragorn gave a slight nod and continued walking beside me after the procession of creatures that were slightly ahead of us.

Though they appeared happy and full of life, none of them talked.

For a heavy burden weighed on each of their shoulders. And these burdens were theirs alone to carry.


End file.
